A Barclays Center DNC could produce windfall for the city

If the Democratic National Convention were held in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, it would likely produce a windfall for the city’s economy, according to Crain’s. Barclays Center holds 18,103 people and if Mayor Bill de Blasio succeeds at wooing his party’s convention to Kings County in 2016, the arena could see almost twice that number of people. In 2012, the DNC in Charlotte, N.C., drew 35,000 for three days and spurred $163.6 million in spending, according to a study sponsored by Charlotte-based business groups cited by Crain’s.

And it is likely that a Brooklyn convention could top that. Analysts speculate that the event would generate at least the $250 million in economic activity of the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.

However, the event could cause headaches for locals. The de Blasio administration said it intends to create dedicated traffic lanes to shuttle attendees who can’t – or won’t — find hotel space near Barclays. [Crain’s] – Christopher Cameron